HILL
DECORATION
GUIDE
Last Updated - 8 February 2002
FORWARD
This guide was compiled by the Military Personnel Flight, Awards and Decorations Office, 75 MSS/DPMPE, as a training guide for decorations monitors. This guide facilitates the preparation and processing of decoration packages within each unit. Decorations discussed in this guide are the Legion of Merit, Airman's Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Aerial Achievement Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, and the Air Force Achievement Medal. This guide does not override or replace Air Force Instruction 36-2803, The Air Force Awards and Decorations Program.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Paragraph Page
1. Awards and Decoration Program 4
2. Submission of Recommendations 5
3. Late Letters 5
4. Promotion 6
5. Tour Length 6
6. OPR/EPR 7
7. Previous Awards 7
8. Initiating a Recommendation 7
9. RDP Recommendation for Decoration Printout--also called DECOR6/Memo in
Lieu of RDP 8
10. Award Justification 8
11. Citations 9
12. Special Orders 10
13. Certificates of Award 10
14. MPF Processing 10
ATTACHMENTS
Atch 1. Example RDP and Completion Instructions 11
Atch 2. Memo in Lieu of RDP 15
Atch 3. Administrative Do’s and Don’ts 18
Atch 4. The Legion of Merit 21
Atch 5. The Airman's Medal 26
Atch 6. The Aerial Achievement Medal 29
Atch 7. The Meritorious Service Medal - AF Form 2228 34
Atch 8. The Air Force Commendation Medal - AF Form 2224 37
Atch 9. The Air Force Achievement Medal - AF Form 2274 40
Atch 10. Special Orders 43
Atch 11. Determining Opening and Closing Dates 46
Atch 12. Guidelines for AFMC Military Decorations 47
Atch 13. Approval Authorities 49
Atch 14. Reconsideration of a Downgraded or Disapproved Award 53
Atch 15. Checklist for Decoration Packages (Ready for Submission) 54
Atch 16. Acronyms and Terms 56
Atch 17. OO-ALC Tracking Sheet 59
1. AWARDS AND DECORATIONS PROGRAM
1.1 GENERAL: The Awards and Decorations Program offers a great opportunity to recognize outstanding personnel for meritorious service, outstanding achievement, or heroism. The program objective is to foster morale, incentive, and esprit de corps. While all deserving members should be recommended for an appropriate decoration, we must remember the importance of preserving the integrity of the overall program. Decorations and awards are intended to recognize acts that are clearly and distinctly outstanding by nature and magnitude. The act or service must place the person's performance significantly above that of their contemporaries and be of such importance that they cannot be appropriately recognized in any other way. To improve the decoration program, this guide has been prepared to assist in the preparation of recommendations for decorations. Recommendations for decorations are designated "For Official Use Only" until a final decision is announced by the awarding authority.
1.2 SQUADRON DECORATION MONITORS: To assist with the Decorations Program, each unit has an assigned primary and alternate monitor to review decoration submissions, provide guidance to initiators, suspense and control decoration actions, and work closely with the Career Enhancement Element. Units will need to provide the name, grade, unit, office symbol, and duty phone of their monitors to DPMPE. Information on each unit's monitors can be obtained from the Commander’s Support Staff.
1.3 CRITERIA: AFI 362803 (Table 21) provides a list of eligibility criteria for receiving a military decoration. The listings explain which types of acts, achievements, and services are considered worthy of recognition, and lists the appropriate decoration. Any person, other than the person being recommended, having firsthand knowledge of the act, achievement, or service believed to warrant an award of a decoration, may initiate a recommendation with the concurrence of the individual’s commander. All recommendations placed in official channels must be forwarded to the designated authority for approval or disapproval.
1.4 RECOMMENDATIONS: Recommendations for decorations are submitted for meritorious service, outstanding achievement, and heroism.
a. Meritorious Service: A recommendation for decoration based upon meritorious service can be submitted for retirement, separation, permanent change of station (PCS), permanent change of assignment (PCA), extended tour, or posthumously. A recommendation for decoration for an extended tour of meritorious service may be submitted when a member's service was clearly outstanding and unmistakably exceptional for at least 3 years. Individuals who received decorations for extended tours of meritorious service should not be recommended for completed periods of service (except retirement/separation unless 2 years have lapsed after the extended tour award). To qualify as a completed period of service award, a PCA must place the person under a different supervisor and must be markedly different from the previous duty. A decoration for meritorious service is not based solely on additional duties.
b. Outstanding Achievement: An outstanding achievement decoration recognizes a single specific act or accomplishment that is separate and distinct from regularly assigned duties. Outstanding achievement is not intended to provide a means to authorize additional decorations or a decoration when the conditions for a completed period of service or extended tour have not been fulfilled. An outstanding achievement recommendation covers a short period of time with definite beginning and ending dates. A recommendation for an outstanding achievement decoration is submitted only when the achievement is of such magnitude that it cannot be recognized in any other way than by award of a decoration, and to delay such recognition until completion of the individual's period of service would diminish the significance of the accomplishment. Therefore, such decorations are rare.
c. Heroism: A recommendation for a decoration based on heroism must clearly state that the quality of the act(s) was characterized by courage or gallantry.
2. SUBMISSION OF RECOMMENDATIONS: The timely submission of recommendations for decorations is an essential ingredient of a successful recognition program.
a. The suspense date is located on the top left-hand corner of the DECOR6. It is the required date the decoration package must be received by DPMPE and is automatically generated from HQ AFPC and cannot be changed.
b. Enter each recommendation into official channels within 2 years and award within 3 years of the act, achievement, or service performed. NOTE: A recommendation is placed in official channels when the recommending official signs the recommendation (DECOR 6 and justification) and a higher official in the chain of command endorses it.
c. Decoration packages being submitted must be protected to ensure they are not damaged. It will be the responsibility of the units to ensure documents are not damaged, mutilated, or lost in distribution. Do not place paper clips on any documents. We encourage the use of blue folders because this prevents any possibility of losing documentation. It is also recommended to use plastic coorespondence covers over the certificate when in official channels.
3. LATE LETTERS: Late letters will be required if decoration is over 60 days late. PCS, PCA suspense is 30 days prior to Projected Departure Date (PDD). Retirement/separation suspense is 60 days prior to retirement/separation date. Outstanding achievement/heroism suspense is 60 days after action/achievement. Late letters will be forwarded to the award approval authority with recommendation for decoration package. Fully explain the situation in your letter, (how, why, what, when, corrections, etc.)
4. PROMOTION: An award is recognition for outstanding past performance, while a promotion is recognition for future potential and responsibility. As long as awards carry a point value under WAPS and have an influence on promotion boards, promotion consideration will have a slight bearing in the recommendation and evaluation process of awards. However, promotion enhancement should not be the determining factor on whether to submit an individual to be recognized with the award of a decoration. In the evaluation process, promotion is not considered as a substitute for an award. The decoration criteria are specific, and the narrative description of achievement is the real basis for approval.
5. TOUR LENGTH: Award authorities may favorably consider recommendation for the MSM, AFCM, or AFAM for personnel who have not completed a period of service. In either case, the primary considerations should be for individuals whose performance has been clearly outstanding and exceptional for an extended period of at least 3 years. See AFI 36-2803, para 2.3.3 for extended tour decorations.
5.1 Individuals who receive such awards should not be considered for a completed period of service award (except retirement) until at least 2 years have lapsed since the extended tour award close-out date.
5.2 A completed period of service, as currently defined in AFI 36-2803, 2.3.3.1, should remain in effect. However, for an internal move on the same base within the same command, an individual will be required to have a minimum of 2 years in the job.
5.3 PCA: Reassignment from one unit to another on the same base or from one office or duty section to another located at the same organization. The new assignment must be markedly different from the previous duty to meet the intent of the completed period of service requirement.
5.4 Retirement: Command conducts a less critical review of retirement recommendations. However, to preserve the integrity of decorations, recommendations must be restricted to the recognition of those individuals whose service has been clearly outstanding.
5.5 A person retiring who received a decoration within 1 year prior to their retirement date and has continued to perform well may be honored with an award for long and faithful service. The AFAM should not be awarded for retirement.
5.6 Separation: Personnel who choose to separate are eligible for a decoration based on past performance the same as other members. However, separation does not equate to retirement, and unlike retirement, the individual's entire career is not a consideration in determining the level of the decoration. Members should be recommended for a decoration upon separation, if warranted.
6. OPR/EPR RATINGS: Commanders/supervisors should not consider an exceptional OPR/EPR adequate recognition in lieu of an award, as the latter provides visible recognition of meritorious service, outstanding achievement, or heroism. If the OPR/EPR overall ratings reflect substandard duty performance then a recommendation for decoration should not be considered. However, there may have been previous circumstances, such as UIF or control roster action, which would have precluded initiation of an award recommendation. It is incumbent upon the recommending official to ensure the overall honorable conduct of the individual merits the award.
7. PREVIOUS AWARDS: Except for recognition of a single act of heroism, a single achievement, or a retirement decoration, there should be a minimum of 12 months between awards (24 months following an extended tour award). A 12-month period was established for two reasons: first, it is a short enough period to allow an individual serving on a short tour to receive an award, and secondly, it is considered the minimum time necessary for an individual to prove himself/herself worthy of an award.
8. INITIATING A RECOMMENDATION
8.1 Any person, other than the person being recommended, having firsthand knowledge of the act, achievement, or service believed to warrant awarding a decoration, may recommend an award.
8.2 A decoration recommendation must process through the member's chain of command, or may be processed by another award authority, so long as concurrence of member's commander has been obtained.
8.3 Complete decoration package, which covers the entire decoration period, will include: A Recommendation for Decoration Printout (RDP-DECOR-6), copies of OPRs/EPRs, citation/certificate, and copies of decorations already given during this award period for an individual recommendation. For a group recommendation submit all RDPs, copies of OPRs/EPRs, and citations/certificates for each person when more than one person is recommended for the same decoration and for the same act, achievement, or service. All packages can also include any notes, memos or attachments.
9. RDP/MEMO IN LIEU OF
9.1 The RDP will be automatically produced as a result of projected actions such as PCS, separation, or retirement. If the RDP is not received, or the decoration is for PCA, extended tour, achievement, heroism, or posthumous reasons, this product may be requested through the Commander’s Support Staff or 75 MSS/DPMPE. If member is not assigned to Hill, the RDP will need to be requested from the member's unit or military awards and decorations office at their current station of assignment. See attachment 1 for example and completion instructions.
9.2 Memo format may be used only when a RDP cannot be obtained. This occurs when the member is not on an active Military Personnel Data System (MILPDS) file because they are a member of another branch of service, separated, or are foreign military. Per HQ AFMC you may also use a blank template RDP. However, you may not use this format if the member has PCS'd. Contact the member's current station of assignment military awards and decorations office or the member’s unit and request a RDP. See attachment 2 for example memo format.
9.3 Submit the original RDP (or memo) with the decoration package.
10. AWARD JUSTIFICATION
10.1 Award justification must be specific and factual, providing concrete examples of exactly what the member did, how well they did it, what the impact or benefits were, and how they significantly exceeded expected duty performance. The following formats may be used to justify the award (combinations of these formats are not authorized): Bullet style, block or group narrative, memorandum justification, or OPRs/EPRs.
10.2 Bullet style justification is limited to one typewritten page, including recommender's signature and signature block. Exceptions: AmnM, AAM, AFAM (see attachments 5, 6 and 9 for guidance). The opening bullet must contain the member's rank and full name, SSAN, and name of the award (and cluster if applicable) for which they are being recommended. There is no mandatory closing bullet.
10.3 Block narrative justification may be used for DECs being submitted for heroism or outstanding achievement, and the description of the event does not lend itself to the bullet style format.
10.4 Group narrative (bullet or block style) justification cites accomplishments for several members for the same act, service, or achievement. It must have individual sections for each member's specific accomplishments and may also have an overall "generic" section for the accomplishments of the entire group.
10.5 Memorandum justification may be used for retirement and separation recommendations. The opening paragraph must contain the member's rank and full name, SSAN, and name of the award (and cluster if applicable) they are being recommended for. The memo must also contain two or three significant accomplishments of the member during their current assignment and a statement of their exemplary service during their career, to include number of years of service. There is no mandatory closing statement.